1. Technical Field of the Invention
The invention relates to replaceable runners for shoe skates. The runners may be those intended for blade skating on ice or roller skating on hard surfaces. In particular, the invention relates to a replaceable runner system requiring no manual manipulation of locking devices in coupling the runners to a skate shoe.
2. Prior Background Art
The concept of a replaceable runner, removably coupled to a shoe skate is not new. However, all known apparatus for achieving this end appear to be mechanically involved, unnecessarily so. All require the actuation of locking levers or the manipulation of screw fastening devices, or the like. As a result of such necessary manual manipulations, the time required to remove a used runner and to install a new runner becomes a significant factor, especially if the person effecting the change of runners is involved in a skating sporting competition at the time the change is being made.
Ice hockey is an example of a competitive sport in which the ability to effect a rapid change of the ice skate runner blades is much to be desired. Ice conditions can adversely affect the sharpness of the runner blade edges. Further, as environmental conditions change during the course of the game, the ice surface conditions may change as well. It is thus desirable to be able to rapidly fit a player with freshly sharpened runner blades or with blades whose edges are properly contoured to most efficiently propel the player across the ice in its presently existing surface conditions.
The speed with which an ice hockey player can effect a change in skate runner blades can, conceivably, affect the outcome of the hockey game. The instant invention presents apparatus which make it possible to make a rapid change of runners, virtually by "stepping into" the new runner. The teachings here are readily, conceptually applicable to ice skate runners as well as to roller skate runners. For purposes of exposition, however, and not of limitation, the invention is disclosed in an ice skating embodiment.